Taken by renowned American photographer Annie Leibovitz at Windsor Castle last month, these remarkable pictures – which, in their lighting and composition, echo the great royal oil paintings of the past – have been released by Buckingham Palace to mark the Queen’s 90th birthday today. They are portraits not only of a monarch, but of a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother too. It was, said one who was involved in the process, a deliberate decision by the sovereign. For as much as this day has become a national celebration, it is also very much a family event too. After all, Elizabeth is a proud great-grandmother five times over. (Main image pictured left to right: James, Viscount Severn, Lady Louise Alice Elizabeth Mary Mountbatten-Windsor, Mia Tindall, the Queen, Princess Charlotte, Savannah Phillips, Prince George and Isla Phillips.) Original Article: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3550750/Three-poignant-portraits-released-mark-Queen-s-90th-birthday.html Original Video: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/video/news/video-1284791/Queen-encourages-corgis-aircraft-steps-Heathrow-1994.html Daily Mail Facebook: http://facebook.com/dailymail Daily Mail IG: http://instagram.com/dailymail Daily Mail Snap: https://www.snapchat.com/discover/Daily-Mail/8392137033 Daily Mail Twitter: http://twitter.com/MailOnline Daily Mail Pinterest: http://pinterest.co.uk/dailymail Daily Mail Google+: https://plus.google.com/+DailyMail/posts Get the free Daily Mail mobile app: http://dailymail.co.uk/mobile